


Winter Warmth

by umiyuki



Category: Free!
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, M/M, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-17
Updated: 2013-11-17
Packaged: 2018-01-01 20:46:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1048399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/umiyuki/pseuds/umiyuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>It’s still so wonderful to hear Haru expressing his feelings this way; this time last year he’d never have imagined that he’d hear Haru thanking him so openly for a gesture as small as spending a day together.  It only goes to show how much he’s grown - how much they’ve <b>both</b> grown, really - since starting the swimming club with Nagisa.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>Post-series:  Makoto takes Haru out for the day during the New Year's holidays following the events of season 1.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter Warmth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sachi-pon](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Sachi-pon).



> For Sachi-pon as part of the [2013 Makoto Birthday Exchange](http://makotobirthdayexchange.tumblr.com/makobday). I hope you enjoy it! :)

Makoto is just glancing idly at a rack of discounted ceramics when he hears the ring of a bell followed by a shout of "Congratulations!" He turns around to see Haru standing expressionless at a prize drawing table while the employees working there applaud him cheerfully.

"Haru!" he says, hurrying back to Haru's side. "Did you win another one?" He looks down at the tray where Haru's lottery ball is resting, and sees that it's a shiny silver one.

"Yeah," says Haru with a disaffected shrug. "Only the silver this time, though." He looks down at his bags from the other prize lotteries he's entered while they've been out shopping - three so far today, and he'd gotten prizes at all of them. At one he'd even won the gold prize: a beautifully packaged musk melon that he'd seemed rather unimpressed with all the same.

"Here you are, young man!" the clerk pronounces, holding out a bag with Haru's latest prize inside it. Haru lifts one arm to try to take it but then realizes that both his hands are already full, and he flounders a moment before Makoto jumps in.

"Here, let me," he says. "I've only got one bag anyway, I can carry this for you."

"Okay," says Haru. "Thanks."

Makoto smiles. "Don't worry about it." He takes the bag from the clerk, and it's heavier than he'd expected - not so heavy as to be a real burden, of course, but still heavy enough for him to notice it. "What is it, anyway?"

"A taiyaki press," Haru replies. The prize table staff bows to them, thanking for their business, and Makoto and Haru give a bow back before they turn to leave.

"Taiyaki?" Makoto asks. "Do you even like them? I don't remember ever getting them together."

"I like the outsides," says Haru. "They never have any fillings I want, though."

"Ah, well, now you can make your own, so you can have them however you want!" Makoto chuckles a little as he imagines what sort of fillings Haru might choose for his taiyaki - pineapple, maybe, or mackerel. Maybe even both together; it's completely unappetizing to Makoto, but he's certainly not going to complain about Haru making things to his own tastes.

As they're walking away from the prize table and passing through the rest of the housewares, Makoto looks down at Haru's collection of bags again. "It's really amazing that you won so many, though," he says. "Do you have some trick to winning them?"

Haru shakes his head. "It's not a trick," he says. "You just sort of have to try to feel it. Don't think about what prize you want, just let the ball out that wants to come out."

Makoto smiles. "I thought it might be something like that," he says. He doesn't totally get it, but it seems sort of like the attitude he has towards swimming - like the important thing is to do it freely.

The two of them wander aimlessly into the furniture department, and when they pass a clock Makoto notices the time - nearly eight thirty in the evening already. "Ahh, it's getting late!" he says. "Was there anything else you wanted to get before we go home?"

Haru looks down at his assortment of bags and considers the question for a moment. "I think I'm finished." He hadn't actually bought all that much on this trip; they'd gone to the sports store, of course, and Haru had found a new pair of jammers that look nearly indistinguishable from the ones he already has. They'd made a stop at a shop brimming with mascot character goods, too. Makoto hadn't given it a second glance as they were walking through the mall, but Haru had stopped short in front of it, his eyes gleaming the same way they often do when someone mentions a pool. "Oh, we can go in if you want," Makoto had said, and Haru had dived right into the store, emerging a good forty-five minutes later with a shopping bag full of keychains and plushes and a small, contented smile on his face. It had been good to see him smile; that was the whole reason Makoto had invited him out, after all.

They hadn't seen each other for a few days before today. Haru's parents had come home for the New Year's holidays, and Makoto hadn't wanted to interrupt them, since it's so rare for Haru to even get to see his parents. He'd dropped by to say hello to them a couple of days before the New Year, but since then he's been at home with his own family, staying up late on New Year's Eve and going out to the shrine the next morning for _hatsumode_. His parents had planned a drive along the coast today, and Makoto would have gone with them, but then he'd remembered Haru telling him that his own parents were leaving this morning to go back to their place in the city before Haru's father had to go back to work. 

Makoto had hated the thought of Haru being alone. He knows Haru is used to it, but it just didn't seem right for him to be all by himself right after his parents had gone. So instead of going on the drive with his family, he'd walked up to Haru's house (since Haru hadn't answered his phone) and found him soaking in the bathtub as he often does in the winter.

"Want to come out to the city with me?" he'd asked. "I haven't had a chance to spend any of my New Year's money yet, and I think Yodobashi Camera is having a _fukubukuro_ sale today..."

"You want the PS3 one, right?" Haru had asked in reply, perking up a little.

"Yeah! But I always have bad luck with them, so I think it'd be better if you were there to pick one for me instead." Makoto had smiled and held out his hand toward Haru. "You have really good luck with that kind of thing."

"Yeah, if you choose you'll just get a bag of horror games," Haru had said, "or games you already have." He'd taken Makoto's hand and stepped out of the tub, wearing his swimsuit as always. "I'll pick one for you."

"I appreciate it," Makoto had replied. "And we can go some places you want, too. You haven't been able to spend any of your money either, right?" Haru always gets a lot of New Year's money from his parents; Makoto suspects it's their way of making up for being away so much of the time.

"Right." Haru had started drying himself off, not bothering to change out of his wet swimsuit. "If we go to the Aeon in the city there's a sports store," he'd said. "I want to look for a new swimsuit."

"Of course!" Makoto had replied. "That sounds perfect, we can go wherever you want."

And so they'd taken the train to Tottori City in the early afternoon, just the two of them. Makoto wouldn't have minded if the others could have joined them, since they haven’t seen each other since the winter holidays started; he'd sent out a mass text inviting everyone else along, but they'd all had to decline. Rei’s been out of town with his parents for the last week and Nagisa has been at home with all three of his sisters home from university, so the two of them are having a much-needed day in at Rei’s apartment. The Samezuka dorms have just reopened, so Rin is getting settled back in and, apparently, helping his kouhai unpack - “ai will just leave his suitcase in the middle of the floor forever if i don’t help him so yeah sorry can’t make it today,” his text had said, and the image of Rin fussing at Nitori had made Makoto smile. And he’s sure they’ll all be able to get together soon; the important thing today had been spending time with Haru, and getting him out of the house to keep his spirits up.

The two of them make their way out of the department store together, and it’s long since gotten dark outside but the streets are still brightly lit. They’re walking towards Tottori Station in comfortable silence when a few snowflakes start drifting down in front of them, glittering in the light of the streetlamps. The beauty of it makes Makoto’s heart race, no matter how used to snow he is after spending his whole life in Iwatobi.

“It’s really pretty, isn’t it,” he says, pausing a moment to look up at the falling snow.

“Yeah,” says Haru beside him, and Makoto glances over to see Haru watching the snow with a peaceful smile on his face. In spite of the cold weather, Makoto feels a warm sensation spreading through his chest at seeing Haru looking happy. He turns his gaze back to the night sky, and the two of them stand and watch the snow fall for another minute before Haru speaks again. “Makoto?”

“Hmm?” Makoto looks over and sees that Haru’s eyes filled with sincerity, in that way he has that always makes Makoto’s heart skip a beat.

“Thanks,” says Haru. “For inviting me out today, I mean. It was fun.”

The warm feeling in Makoto’s chest spreads to the rest of him, and he can’t keep himself from smiling. It’s still so wonderful to hear Haru expressing his feelings this way; this time last year he’d never have imagined that he’d hear Haru thanking him so openly for a gesture as small as spending a day together. It only goes to show how much he’s grown - how much they’ve _both_ grown, really - since starting the swimming club with Nagisa. This time last year, Makoto might have said something like “You don’t have to thank me,” but he understands better now how much it really matters to them both for Haru to express things aloud, even if Makoto would know them without Haru saying them.

“You’re welcome,” Makoto replies. “I had a good time too.” He smiles at Haru for another moment, taking in every detail of how he looks right now - his black hair dusted with white snowflakes, his pale cheeks flushed pink in the cold - and his heart overflows with fondness for him. “Let’s go home, Haru.”

“Okay.”

It’s only another few minutes’ walk to Tottori Station, and they get there in time to catch the 9:15 train towards Iwatobi without having to rush. It’s late enough that the trains aren’t too busy anymore in spite of the New Year’s holidays, so there’s plenty of space for them to sit down, as well as for Haru to set all his purchases and prizes in the seat beside them.

A little while after the train has left Tottori Station, Makoto feels Haru’s body shifting beside him, his head lolling over to rest on Makoto’s shoulder. “Haru?” he asks softly, glancing over to see that Haru has fallen asleep, his expression soft and peaceful. Makoto smiles, a warm feeling spreading through his chest. _Honestly, you’ve always been like this_ , he thinks, fondly remembering how ever since they were kids Haru would always fall asleep whenever they rode the train, even though he had no trouble staying awake in cars or buses. And Haru doesn’t always like to be touched, so Makoto always appreciates the moments of contact they do have, whether it’s a happy accident like this or Haru purposely drawing close to him. 

Makoto leans back in his seat and relaxes, happy and content with Haru asleep beside him. The scenery rolls by outside the train, and as they move east toward Iwatobi the light snow that had started falling starts to grow heavier, going from a dusting of small flakes to bigger ones falling in thick clumps. _The first big snow of the new year_ , he thinks. Even as heavy as the snow is getting, there’s still something soothing about watching it from inside the heated train with Haru asleep beside him. It’s so relaxing that he spaces out and loses track of time, not snapping out of his distracted state until the train is leaving the station just before Iwatobi.

“Ah!” Makoto looks up at the marquee above the train doors and sees “Next: Iwatobi” scroll across it in yellow lights. He gives Haru a gentle nudge with his shoulder. “Haru?” he asks quietly, and Haru gives a soft grunt in response. “Haru, wake up, it’s our stop next.”

Haru takes a slow breath in and straightens himself, lifting his head off of Makoto’s shoulder. “I fell asleep on you again,” he mumbles, blinking the sleep from his eyes, and Makoto can’t help but smile.

“Don’t worry about it,” he says. “I don’t mind.” Makoto glances over to the shopping bags on Haru’s other side. “Make sure you don’t forget anything,” he adds, purely out of habit from shopping with Ren and Ran so much.

“Yeah, I’ve got it,” Haru replies, picking up his myriad of bags one at a time. Makoto only has the one bag himself, plus Haru’s taiyaki press, so when Haru’s hands get full Makoto extends his free one. Haru considers it a moment before handing him a bag. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” says Makoto. The conductor comes over the loudspeaker to announce that they’re arriving in Iwatobi, and the two of them stand up as the train comes to a stop. They step out of the train and onto the platform, and Haru’s eyes widen as he sees the snow falling against the dark sky. “It’s really gotten heavy,” Makoto says. “Do you think we should take a taxi home? Even if we had an umbrella it’d still be a long walk…”

“Yeah, let’s do that,” says Haru. 

They make their way through the ticket gate and out of the station, and hurry to a taxi that’s waiting at the curb, its wipers sweeping the swiftly-falling snow off the windshield in quick strokes. “To Misagozaki Shrine, please,” Makoto says as soon as he and Haru have piled into the taxi with all their bags. The drive home is slow thanks to the heavy snowfall, but it’s still much better than walking. The taxi takes them as far as the steps leading up to the shrine and drops them off.

“I’ll come up with you,” says Makoto, adjusting the bags he’s carrying to make sure he won’t drop any. His own house is only a stone’s throw away from here, but there’s too much for Haru to carry by himself, especially on the steep stairs in this amount of snow. Haru nods, and they start to climb, taking each step carefully. There are a couple of times when Haru looks like he might slip, and Makoto quickly reaches out to brace him, but they manage to make it up without either of them falling. By the time they get to Haru’s front door, though, they’re both covered in snow, their jackets wet and their hair soaked.

“Come in for a minute,” Haru says as he unlocks the door and slides it open. Makoto follows him in without a second thought; he’d been planning to go inside anyway, just to get out of the snow. If anything it’s only gotten even heavier since the taxi dropped them off, to the point that they’d barely been able to see Haru’s house from the top of the stairs. He kicks off his shoes in the entryway and steps up into the house, bristling at how cold the floor feels beneath his feet. It’s not much warmer inside the house than outside, but at least they’re out of the snow now. Makoto follows Haru to the kitchen and sees him setting all his bags down there. “You can just leave them,” he says. “I’ll put it all away tomorrow.”

“Ah, okay,” says Makoto, setting down the two bags of Haru’s he’s been carrying as well as his own. As he’s bending over, a few drops of melted snow drip from his hair to the back of his neck, making him shiver and suck in his breath through his teeth. “I’ll go get some towels so we can dry off.”

“Okay.” Haru heads off toward his own room, most likely to start it heating up, and Makoto goes to the linen cupboard near the bathroom to get the towels. He knows more than well enough by now where everything is in Haru’s house, sometimes better than he knows his own house since his mother is fond of rearranging and reorganizing whereas Haru never moves anything unless he has to. Makoto takes a couple of big towels from the cupboard and throws one over his own head, giving his hair a few quick drying strokes before he walks to Haru’s room. 

“Haru,” Makoto says as he opens the door, “here, I got you a towel-- Wait, you got changed already?” Haru is sitting at the small kotatsu he keeps in his bedroom during winter, the blanket pulled all the way up to his shoulders, and he’s changed into his familiar blue hoodie and the sweatpants he often wears at home in the winter. Makoto just chuckles and walks over to him, draping the other towel over Haru’s head. “There,” he says, sitting down at the kotatsu beside Haru, “you can dry off a little.”

“Thanks.” Haru rubs the towel over his hair briefly, and Makoto does the same with his own. When he lowers his towel, he looks up and sees through the window that the snow is still falling as hard as it had been when they came in.

“At this rate it might not let up for a while, huh.” Makoto is starting to worry; it’s late already, and he could go back out but the thought of it isn’t at all appealing, especially since he’d have to go all the way back down the stairs to get home.

Haru scrubs at his hair with the towel for another moment before looking up at Makoto. “Why don’t you just stay,” he says. “It’s too cold to go out again, and you might fall on the stairs.” Haru looks away, his cheeks going pink. “I want you to stay,” he adds softly.

Makoto’s heart flutters. It’s not the first time he’s stayed at Haru’s place unexpectedly - it happens enough these days that Makoto just keeps a few of his clothes here - but it still feels special every time Haru asks him to stay. “Sure, of course!” he says, feeling so warm inside he could almost forget about the cold. “I’ll just call home and let my parents know.”

Calling home hardly takes a minute; Makoto’s mother picks up quickly, and isn’t at all surprised to hear that he’s at Haru’s house. “I’d just assumed you were staying over with him anyway,” she says. “But it’s good to know you’re not caught out in the snow. Take care, sweetie, we’ll see you tomorrow.” After he hangs up, Makoto goes to Haru’s closet to get his change of clothes: a pair of track pants, an old t-shirt, and a faded hoodie, perfect for using as pajamas in the middle of winter. He changes quickly, more than ready to get out of his wet clothes, and sits back down at the kotatsu beside Haru. He slips his legs beneath the blanket and lets out a pleasant sigh at how warm it is. Haru hasn’t moved an inch since sitting down there, and looks half-ready to lie his head down on the table and fall asleep.

“Haru?” Makoto says, nudging one of Haru’s legs with his own under the kotatsu. “If you’re tired, we could just go to sleep, it’s past ten already…” He’s starting to feel tired himself, now that he’s out of his wet clothes and sitting at the toasty kotatsu.

Haru gives a sleepy nod. “Yeah,” he says, leaning forward to rest his head on the table, his eyes starting to drift shut. Makoto laughs and nudges his leg again.

“I didn’t mean we should sleep right here,” says Makoto, withdrawing from under the kotatsu even though his body protests the loss of warmth. He stands up and holds his hand down for Haru to take. “Come on, let’s just go to bed.”

Haru turns his head and looks up at Makoto wearily. “It’s cold,” he says, but he reaches up to take Makoto’s hand anyway, letting Makoto steady him as he gets up from the kotatsu.

“I know,” Makoto replies, not letting go of Haru’s hand even once he’s stood up. “You’ve already turned the electric blanket on, though, right?”

“Yeah.” Haru clings to Makoto’s hand for warmth as they walk to the bathroom to brush their teeth before bed, and takes his hand again once they’ve finished, leading the way back to his bedroom. He lifts the covers on his futon enough to crawl in, and beckons for Makoto to join him. It’s not a very large futon, but they don’t need much space; as soon as Makoto is under the covers, Haru huddles close to him, wrapping his arms around Makoto’s waist and resting his forehead against Makoto’s chest. “You’re really warm,” he murmurs into Makoto’s hoodie.

Makoto smiles and slips one arm around Haru’s shoulders to hold him close. “You’re warm, too,” he says, stroking Haru’s back for a moment. “Are you comfortable like this, Haru?”

“Yeah,” says Haru, cuddling closer and nuzzling Makoto’s chest a little. “This is good.”

“I’m glad.” Makoto loves getting to spend the night with Haru like this; it feels warm and perfect, like there’s nowhere else in the world Makoto should be but here. He gives Haru a gentle squeeze and rests his cheek atop Haru’s head. “Goodnight, Haru.”

“Goodnight,” Haru replies, and the last thing Makoto hears before he falls asleep is Haru’s breathing, soft and peaceful as he slips into a contented sleep in Makoto’s arms.


End file.
